Memorial Weekend Boat Traffic Down???

[Blue Thunder]

Originally Posted by Audiofn

Songo River I am on the Brandy Pond side of the locks.

I am on the west side of Frye facing what they call Big Bay. I make the trip up and through the locks once or twice a year. There was quite a bit of boat traffic Sunday afternoon and Monday morning until the wind came up and chased everyone off the lake.

BT

[This'nThat]

Traffic was wayyyyyyy down today, also. Temp in the 70's. No waves on the Broads at 1:00pm. No boats anywhere! No boats, either, at 6:00pm, and the water was only a little more choppy. Beautiful day.

Something's going on. Two weekends in a row can't be just a fluke. How many summer weekends are there? And two of them with no boats on the water? Wow.

[BroadHopper]

That make me not boat on weekends are the Bonehead skippers. I'd rather boat during the week when they don't seem to be out there.

Gas prices do have an effect on my boating. I am cutting down on the amount of cruising I do on the lake. I would be anchoring/rafting more and staying at ports more.

[kjbathe]

Maybe it's because we've had the lake to ourselves since Mid-April that I thought Memorial Day weekend was busier than usual (when the sun was out). I was surprised by the traffic on Monday given the windy conditions, but what really caught my attention was how many larger cruisers and performance boats were out there -- on plane. I guess that's the difference between fuel prices this year and last.

But if traffic was indeed way way down, I'm all for it...

[KonaChick]

We picked up our boat at Shep's yesterday and they guy there told us that 40% of the boats were still in storage. High number for this time of year he said.

[This'nThat]

Originally Posted by KonaChick

We picked up our boat at Shep's yesterday and they guy there told us that 40% of the boats were still in storage. High number for this time of year he said.

Here's an April 2009 story from the NYT regarding abandoned boats in the S.E. “Our waters have become dumping grounds,” said Maj. Paul R. Ouellette of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “It’s got to the point where something has to be done.”

Hope the boats "in storage" are simply late -- and not abandoned!

[Audiofn]

Originally Posted by This'nThat

Here's an April 2009 story from the NYT regarding abandoned boats in the S.E. “Our waters have become dumping grounds,” said Maj. Paul R. Ouellette of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “It’s got to the point where something has to be done.”

Hope the boats "in storage" are simply late -- and not abandoned!

I just got a boat a few weeks back that was a pay the storage bill deal. The former owner just did not have the money and gave the boat over to the yard. The yard that I got it from just got back 7 or 8 letters from other owners that were basically telling them the same thing! This was not a huge yard either. Price of fuel is back on the rise and the economy is still in the dumps. I think this is going to be the theam for the summer.

[Excalibur]

I noticed very light traffic on the lake and on the highway for two straight weekends. The weather was not to bad just a few passing showers both days.

It was strange not seeing a backup or even a slight slow down at the toll booth. Also the traffic pattern was lighter then the winter skiers traffic.
But I am not complaining, just wondering how long it will last.

[tis]

Originally Posted by This'nThat

Here's an April 2009 story from the NYT regarding abandoned boats in the S.E. “Our waters have become dumping grounds,” said Maj. Paul R. Ouellette of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “It’s got to the point where something has to be done.”

Hope the boats "in storage" are simply late -- and not abandoned!

Very interesting article. I hadn't thought of that but of course just as people can't afford their houses, they can't afford their boats! It could happen to RVs and autos, all kinds of things. The insurance scheme thing is a shame. The rates for the rest of us are high enough, this kind of thing will make them worse.

[fatlazyless]

I was a little surprised to see two kayaks out in the middle of the area between south Bear Island and Governor's Island on Saturday at about 1pm. In the past, that would have been prime time for the usual Winnipesaukee 'day at the races' what with boaters driving Indy 500 style. But not on this weekend's sunny Saturday....it's way too early to say...but it seems like the motor boat volume is down.

[fatlazyless]

It's not just for Memorial Day weekend that this here Lake Winnipesaukee is seeing a lot less boating traffic. For the past few days it has been very very quiet......very few boats out there.

Yesterday, in the middle of the day, an MP boat was sitting in the middle of the buoy 3 passage for about 30 minutes, and not even one single boat passed through.

I read in the NY Times where President Obama was talking about the Winnipesaukee boating void, and how he was thinking about chopping the big lake into 50 little lakes and redistributing each piece to 50 different urban areas, one per state. Now, that kinda makes sense now don't it, seeing as nobody seems to be using Lake Winnipesaukee any more, least not for boating.

[This'nThat]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

It's not just for Memorial Day weekend that this here Lake Winnipesaukee is seeing a lot less boating traffic. For the past few days it has been very very quiet......very few boats out there.

Here's the Weir's cam shot just before noon today (Thursday). FL is correct -- it's like this all over the lake, and has been all summer so far.
___________
Updated to include additional image

[VtSteve]

Over here, it's pretty much like that all the time. Nobody's really gotten into the weather thing yet. Number one, this is not summer. This has been the first decent week in many, and many weekends have been cool and wet. Combine that with the wind and various storms and you have a pretty deserted place.

People are also saving money if they can, with many people having to endure hob losses and the like. It's not surprising at all to see Winni deserted on a Thursday, weekdays were always fairly space, especially so when the water is cold and the weather feels like October. It's generally pretty relaxing on the lake weekdays, except in the peak vacation months. There are some that would prefer the lake to always be free of boats, excepting their own boat of course.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by This'nThat

"...did anyone notice boat traffic way, way down...?"

Originally Posted by Phantom

"...Traffic was DEFINITELY down..."

Down boating traffic needs to be compared to something familiar, and the memory of last year's 2008 Memorial Day is too distant.

What was the weather for 2008's Memorial Day Weekend?
How different were the gas prices? All over the map for both years.
What effect was the certification requirement having on out of state visitors?
What toll was certification taking on Winnipesaukee's wealthiest boating demographic?

(Older, and presumably wealthier, boaters were among the last to take the certification exam. And what could possibly be the least-convenient episode in the history of New Hampshire's certification exams? The new mandatory requirement to physically attend a classroom!

If the weather is sunny for tomorrow and Sunday, the following is where the best possible comparison can be made between the two weekends.

This thread from exactly one year ago can be used as a tape measure:

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...ad.php?p=72182

(That weekend was sunny, and hopefully ours will be, too).

From that thread, one quote in particular suggests that on Moultonborough Bay, Saturday, could be a great place to document the boat traffic:

"I am looking out over Moultonboro bay on a beautiful Sat evening and there are no boats to be seen... astounding"

Only the weather can interfere with the results of this comparison, right?

Well...

***unless Forumites are all boating over to Moultonborough Bay this Saturday evening to see for themselves!



ETA:
The one-year-anniversary baseline was Saturday: I looked out to see a crowded lake being evacuated at 4:30 PM for heading home or to dinner.

That explains why Moultonborough Bay was empty (one year ago exactly) the last time we discussed boat traffic!

[OCDACTIVE]

Wow ... we are well past memorial day and whether it be the weather, economy, limits........ Or a combination, I personally am finding the boat traffic way down. I was out on Fri and Sat. both great boating days and there wasn't much going on. I didn't make it over to the Weirs where I figured most traffic would be, being the beginning of Motorcycle week, but everywhere else seemed very slow.

[neckdweller]

My very unscientific sampling over the years says that bike weekend (now two, kind of) is typically slow for boat traffic. If people are going to stay home, they choose one or both of these weekends presumably to avoid the nightmare of all the bikes.

Another factor this year is that schools are getting out later due to the ice storm and snow days. My kids should have been done Friday but they're extended out another week and a half. With that extension comes more baseball games, softball games, lacrosse games, etc. taking up the Saturdays and Sundays.

I expect it to be quite busy up there the week of 6/29 leading up to the July 4th weekend. Having the 3rd on a Friday will give a lot of people an excuse to use some vacation time.

[VtSteve]

We're heading down to Florida the Thursday before July 4th, to avoid the loud boats and the crowds

[Resident 2B]

I spent the majority of the day last Friday on the lake. Started at the Weirs, to Meredith, to Center Harbor, back down to Bear Island, over to the Hole-in-the-Wall, then the Graveyard over to Melvin Village. We then headed south back through the Graveyard, past the Barber's Pole area for a run out on the broads. From there it was past the Witches, back to the Weirs, through the Weirs channel and down around Paugus, then back again to Weirs. I saw maybe ten boats on the water in the 4 hours of poking around.

The weather was very good from 11 AM onward.

Very low traffic for this time of the year, in my opinion.

R2B

[ApS]

Got back at 2-PM from a 4-hour sail*** in The Broads.

Except for "The Mount" silently approaching me from dead astern , while navigating a clockwise route around the lake , I never saw more than 2 other boats at any time.

(Not counting barges).

***Wanted a 3-hour sail, but the wind was very variable.
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ETA, 1.0:
1) It's not typically busy on the lake during a June weekday. The Saturday following, however, there were at least ten boats in sight at one time. (For a 500%-increase in traffic as opposed to a weekday—this was between 10AM-1PM.)

2) Certification is a factor, especially as the wealthiest demographic was the last to require, and attend, certification classes.

3) I expect the National economy to collapse in the long term, but even a short recovery is possible on the lake for the next few years.

ETA, 2.0
June 26th, Friday, update:

Extreme weather is moving in late today but this morning was another sunny June day for boating, and saw about six-to-eight boats at any one time. That's about 400% more boat traffic than on the 16th, a comparable weekday for sunny boating. Because it's a Friday, more boats (than the usual weekday) could be expected.

ETA, 3.0
July 7th, Monday, update:

Saturday and Sunday were too hectic for my accustomed style of boating, but by Noon on Monday, I counted 16 boats within view (at any one time) on my usual stretch of The Broads. (800% increase over June 16th).


ETA, 4.0
July 12th, Sunday, ongoing update:

At Noon, I counted 28 sailboats and a fewer number of powerboats (12 ?) on my usual stretch of The Broads. Is that a 2000% increase over the 16th? :huh:

Good wind, sun, and puffy clouds, again, BTW.

ETA 5.0
July 29, Thursday, ongoing update:

By Noon I'd seen four sailboats (and, at most, 13 powerboats) at one time in the same location.

Only problem was Cap'n B who, with a boatfull, came within 50' of my boat off Ayer's Point marker—then waved!

Nearly calm, hazy sun, few clouds.

[OCDACTIVE]

Originally Posted by Resident 2B

The weather was very good from 11 AM onward.

Very low traffic for this time of the year, in my opinion.

R2B

I agree.. Even when the weather was good it seems very slow. There are some small congestion points Eagle Island, Ambrose Cove Channel etc. But those always seem to have boats there. Otherwise very slow overall.

Going up this weekend, but due to the weather may not even put the boat in.

Where is summer????

[This'nThat]

Originally Posted by OCDACTIVE

Wow ... we are well past memorial day and whether it be the weather, economy, limits........ Or a combination, I personally am finding the boat traffic way down. I was out on Fri and Sat. both great boating days and there wasn't much going on. I didn't make it over to the Weirs where I figured most traffic would be, being the beginning of Motorcycle week, but everywhere else seemed very slow.

Same here. The only busy spot on Saturday was at Weirs. Everywhere else -- traffic way down. How much? Don't know -- I don't have those measurements. All I know is from personal experience -- the weekend traffic should have been much heavier than it was.

[ILoveWinnipesaukee]

I wonder if the slow traffic issue has to do with the fact that many area schools at least here in Massachusetts are not even out of school yet. Most I know of have had to extend the school year because of the December ice storm, and most of the people who come up to the lake for vacation have to wait for the kids to get out of school.

Plus with the weather the way it has been, no one has wanted to go boating in 50 degree rainy weather.

[Mee-n-Mac]

Originally Posted by ILoveWinnipesaukee

I wonder if the slow traffic issue has to do with the fact that many area schools at least here in Massachusetts are not even out of school yet. Most I know of have had to extend the school year because of the December ice storm, and most of the people who come up to the lake for vacation have to wait for the kids to get out of school.

Plus with the weather the way it has been, no one has wanted to go boating in 50 degree rainy weather.

It was that way last year IIRC. I noted a lot of boats out and about the very first hot weekend after ice out. Thereafter it's been pretty slow except for last Sat, when I thought there were more boats that I'd have expected given the weather. The real test comes after school's out. July 4 falls on a weekend and that'll be telling.

So it's a combination of bad weather, bad economy, late school year, gas prices ..... and swine flu. This year everything get's blamed on swine flu. Global warming ... baaah .... that's so last year.